Saturday, September 28, 2013

The 5th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival will take place for a
week from Oct. 17 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, marking the 60th anniversary of
the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

The opening ceremony will be held in Camp Greaves, a former U.S. military
base near the demilitarized zone on Oct. 17, with a screening of "Ten Thousand
Spirits" by director Park Chan-kyong. The fantasy documentary looks back on the
stormy life of a female shaman.

Tickets will be available online from
Oct. 1. For more information, visit the festival's website at http://www.dmzdocs.com.

Rice consumption is on the decline while coffee is getting more popular,
statistics show. According to the Nonghyup Economic Research Institute on
Monday, the coffee market in Korea more than doubled over the past four years,
while annual per capita rice consumption declined by about six kg over the same
period.

Coffee imports rose from 107,000 tons in 2008 to 115,000 tons
last year, which translates into 293 cups of coffee per adult a year. The coffee
market more than doubled from W1.91 trillion in 2008 to W4.13 trillion in 2012
(US$1=W1,082). By contrast, annual rice consumption per person fell around 6 kg
to 69.8 kg.

A bowl of rice fetches only 20.6-45.7 percent of the price of
a cup of coffee. According to the report, as of 2012, a 100g bowl of rice was
sold for W1,000-W1,500 in restaurants, while a cup of "Americano" or ordinary
drip coffee cost W3,500-4,000.

But coffee consumption continues to
increase. Koreans over 12 ate rice 19.2 times per week in 2008, but that fell to
17.2 times in 2011. By contrast, the weekly frequency of coffee consumption rose
from 7.9 times to 8.6 times over the same period.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

After
fast-fashion brands made a successful soft landing in Korea’s fashion market
years ago, the wardrobes of young or even middle-aged Koreans have been filled
with low-cost garments from such brands.

For years, big name
fast-fashion chains, such as Uniqlo, Zara, H&M, 8 seconds and SPAO have
beaten other brands including Levi’s or Calvin Klein Jeans, the so-called
must-have items that Korean youngsters had to have in the early
2000s.

With the loyalty of fans, the top three SPAs in the
Korean market ― Uniqlo, Zara and H&M ― are enjoying huge success with their
sales growing sharply. SPA stands for specialty store retailer of private label
apparel.

According to the Financial Supervisory Service’s
Data Analysis, Retrieval and Transfer System, the size of the country’s SPA
market remained at some 1 trillion won ($915.3 million) in 2008, but it will
likely surpass the 3 trillion won threshold next year.

Sales
for the top three stood at some 800 billion won in 2012, growing more than 40
percent from a year earlier.

As those figures show,
fast-fashion has marked a huge presence in Korea’s fashion market. Experts say
their rise was backed by offering greater variety quickly to customers at a
reasonable cost in the fast-spinning wheel of
fashion.

Stores of such fast-fashion brands, or SPAS have
packed Seoul’s shopping districts such as Myeong-dong or
Hongdae.

When asked “Where do you buy your jeans?” eight out
of 10 college students interviewed said they usually visit fast-fashion
retailers for
shopping.

Reasonable
prices

“I’m a big fan of fast-fashion brands
because they offer various products at reasonable prices. The jeans that I’m
wearing now are from Uniqlo and the shirt is from Zara,” said Yoo
In-seok.

Park Hyun-min echoed Yoo’s
view.

He said, “The biggest strength that such SPAs have is
the price of their products. There is nowhere you can buy this number of
garments on a limited budget,” showing two T-shirts, two pairs of pants and some
underwear he bought from SPAO, a domestic SPA brand
here.

Park Soo-jin picked more fashion-related reasons for
her preference in fast-fashion brands.

“Getting away from
logo-centric clothes is one of the reasons I choose fast-fashion brands. Just a
few years ago, wearing clothes with a big logo on them was considered to be
fashionable, but now that is out-dated,” said Park.

“Young
people these days are looking for basic items or seeking unique designs.
Fast-fashion brands are popular because they succeed in meeting such customer
expectations,” said
Park.

Functional and trendy
clothes

Uniqlo, a Japanese SPA brand leading
Korea’s fast-fashion market, focuses on offering various basic items in
different materials. Its trademark technologies ― “Heattech” for winter and
“AIRism” for summer ― enjoy huge popularity for their function in keeping
wearers warm or cool.

Zara is usually described as the brand
most definitive of fast-fashion. The Spanish fast-fashion giant distributes an
average of two new designs a week to some 1,700 branches around the
world.

According to a manager at the company, around 80
designers release new clothing constantly and the company restocks branch
shelves with new clothes every week. Customers may not be able to buy shirts
they eyed a week ago.

As its product cycle spins more
quickly than other brands, its products are said to be the most “trendy” and
“fancy,” reflecting young people’s fashion choices.

H&M,
the global fast-fashion “king” from Sweden, falls in between the two rivals. It
sells basic goods and offers trendy items at the same time. It also releases
many collaboration pieces from renowned luxury brand designers, offering a
glimpse of pricy designer goods to budget-strapped customers. The company
entered the Korean market later than its rivals, but said it has 16 stores in
the country and is expanding its business operations.

Park
said, “Young shoppers like me want to be fashionable, but they don’t want to
spend a lot of money. Fast-fashion brands work well for
that.”

Amid the sluggish economy, SPA fashion retailers have
been showing a strong performance in Korea, as well as in other
countries.

There has
been a dispute over quality and price as SPA firms insist that while products
may be cheap, all products maintain the same standard of
quality.

There may be benefits for customers in buying
clothes priced so reasonably. However, whether the quality of the product
matches the price is another
issue.

The real costs to
cheaper products

“Considering the quality of the
clothes, I think the price is not reasonable at all. I bought a pair of jeans in
one SPA store in Korea that stretched out after wearing them few times,” an
office employee working near Seoul Station said.

“The
products look fine at first glance, but when you take a closer look, you can see
the sewing is incomplete or not carefully done,” a university student surnamed
Koo said.

Uniqlo recently released its fall-winter product
lines in cashmere and silk, which sell from 50,000 won. Zara sells products at
relatively expensive prices, especially in men’s clothes, according to a fashion
blogger in Naver, who has been comparing the prices of Zara products over the
years. “Clothes are overpriced compared to those in other countries. I bought a
set of six socks for 990 yen (10,900 won) in Uniqlo in Beppu in Japan. But I
bought four socks in Uniqlo for 15,900 won in Korea. SPA firms likely think of
Korean customers as easy-money,” an office worker surnamed Park
said.

In terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR),
Uniqlo has been active in such activities since 2011, but Zara, which posted
some 200 billion won in sales in 2012 in Korea, has never engaged in such
activities during the four years the firm has been in
Korea.

“I barely see SPA companies performing CSR activities
in Korea, even though they make a lot of money here. Looking at that, I just
assume that they only just want to earn money,” a consumer
said.

Structural problems over
clothing manufacturing

A garment factory in
Bangladesh collapsed on April 24, killing more than 1,000 local people who
worked inside the building. The rise in the demand for cheap clothing overseas
has led to cuts in production costs. The factory where the workers worked was
shabbily built, leading to the accident, and the wages they received were deemed
to be the cheapest among Asian countries. This naturally came at the expense of
the workers’ health and safety, all in order to win a bid from overseas SPAs
amid fiercer competition.

The disaster in Bangladesh is a
prominent case highlighted in the media. However, the sufferers remain victims
of the SPA manufacturing system.

“Most of our clothes are
made in China, India and Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Sri
Lanka. The factory which provides the cheapest labor wins our bid. Most SPA
firms outsource production, not directly manufacturing,” said a manager at one
of the Korean SPA firms by telephone.

“With globalization
has come consumer apathy. Who cares about people who make clothing? As long as
it is cheap we will buy it,” Anna McMullen, a reporter at CNN, said in a recent
article.

“Customers would think that the cheap cost would
inevitably come at a sacrifice,” a fashion-related office worker
said.

The five members of Crayon Pop hope the new release
of their music video “Bar Bar Bar,” Monday, will restore the group's
popularity./ Courtesy of Chrome
Entertainment

Crayon Pop jumping,
stomping again after scandal

By Park
Jin-hai

They seemingly had every reason to
fail.

Gum-mi, ChoA, Way, Ellin and So-yul, the five members
of Crayon Pop were “different.” Unlike other sexy or cute female K-pop groups,
they were dorky.

Dressed in tracksuits and bicycle helmets
as colorful as crayons, the five girls in the music video bounce up and down to
the repetitive and catchy tune of “Bar Bar Bar” on the tilt-a-whirl and
merry-go-round at an amusement park. To the retro sound of fast electronic
beats, its lyrics urge people to leave their worries behind and jump
along.

“We have always tried to challenge the mainstream in
some way,” said ChoA, 23, in an interview with The Korea Times. “As a girl
group, we needed to gather up what courage we had simply to be
different.”

The quintet recalls the moment they heard that
their music would be wacky and funny. “Up to the moment we were called on stage,
we were not sure how people would react to our quirkiness,” said Way, ChoA’s
twin sister. “So our success was unexpected and
sudden.”

Their momentary fall was just as sudden. The
previous comments the members left on Twitter, using words from rightist-online
media, got them in trouble where angry netizens harshly criticized them. An ad
was pulled, an event was cancelled and the public response was
negative.

But on Aug. 30, the rookie girl group beat the
12-member boy band EXO on the music program “Music Bank” to top the chart. It
also earned them a fandom that is comparable to Psy’s “Gangnam
Style.”

On Monday, Sony Korea released the revised version
of their “Bar Bar Bar” music video, aimed at the global music industry. The new
music video was filmed at locations like a subway station, Han river, and
children’s park in Seoul. Their core fan base “pop jeossi” made a surprise
appearance in the video.

“All of the difficult moments
flashed through in my head,” said Gum-mi, recalling when their name was called
out on “Music Bank” in a separate e-interview. She, caught in a torrent of
emotion, burst into tears, referring to the recent public backlash against the
group.

The other members also spoke cautiously about the
incident, even though they were a tough independent group that rose out of
obscurity and against all odds. The girls all debuted late. Plus, they all had
other careers: Gum-mi worked as a skin therapist; Ellin, a shopping mall fitting
model; Way, an indie band singer; and So-yul, a member of another girl band.
They spent only a year as group members before they debuted as “Crayon
Pop.”

Their entertainment company was small in size,
premature in experience, and was lacking finance to promote the girl group. But
the rest of the story would have it that the band had a sudden miraculous rise,
a series of managerial mishaps, and then fall from fame.

But
their viral hit song “Bar Bar Bar” is making the rounds all over the nation,
with fans and celebrities parodying their signature quirky dance moves – dubbed
the “Straight-Five Engine Dance” for its resemblance to an engine’s cylinders -
on YouTube.

Since its release on June 23, their video has
received about 5 million views. In just six weeks, it sits at the top of the
Billboard’s K-Pop Hot 100 and it also succeeded in making a license deal with
Sony Music Entertainment, which is home to Beyonce, Justin Timberlake and Avril
Lavigne.

“It was right after our album was released,” said
Way, when asked about when the most trying moment of their year-long career was.
“We initially thought that once our album was out, all doors would open for us,”
she added. The group’s album was released in June, when the K-pop stage was
already crowded with existing and new groups.

“The chance to
stand on stage was few and far between for us. We found ourselves spending more
and more time stuck in the studio,” ChoA added. “It was
suffocating.”

These girls, however, didn’t back off. They
chose to go forward. With the sole purpose of showing who they were and what
they had, they took to the streets, giving “street guerilla concerts,” something
unprecedented by an idol group.

They performed wherever they
could find space. They even performed in subway stations. Members said that
sometimes all the girls huddled together and shed tears at the end of the day.
But, because of those days, they secured their core fan base called “pop jeossi”
or middle-aged male fans who virtually triggered the nation-wide craze for the
group.

“In hindsight, although it was tough, we tried to
find a silver lining,” said Gum-mi. “Anyhow, it was way better to be outside
performing than staying in the studio,” added Way.

In the
freezing winter wind, they performed only in their tracksuits, because with
their signature outfit on people would recognize them. “When it was really cold,
we used to move to a nearby location and perform more, just to warm up our
bodies,” said Way.

Asked about their role models, they name
singers such as Lee Hyo-ri and Lee Jung-hyun, who debuted in their teens but
hold iconic status and perform even now in their mid
30s.

“But, we would like to be the ‘girl-next-door’ kind of
group. A group that can recharge people’s energy levels to the fullest with
cheery and light music,” said ChoA.

Two old Chinese maps have been discovered showing that the Dokdo islets
belonged to Korea, further undermining Japan's flimsy colonial claim to the
rocks.

The two maps were made in the 19th century during the Qing Dynasty
and were unveiled by Lee Myeong-hee of Kyunghee University's Humanitas College
at a seminar on Sept. 6.

One is an eight-piece folding-screen map of the
world from 1845 and depicts Ulleung Island and Dokdo in close proximity to the
Korean Peninsula, clearly showing that they belonged to the Chosun Kingdom.

The other map, created in 1851, depicts Ulleung Island and Dokdo in the
same way.

A Chinese map made in 1845 depicts Ulleung Island and Dokdo (in red circle) as
belonging to the Chosun Kingdom. /Courtesy of Lee Myeong-hee

Lee Sang-tae, another researcher who also presented his findings at the
seminar, said, "Study of maps produced by Japan's Shimane Prefecture," which
claims ownership of Dokdo, "shows that Dokdo was not identified as part of the
prefecture for around a dozen years just before and after it illegally laid
claim to Dokdo in 1905."

Japanese maps dating back to 1895 and 1899 and
even those from 1908 and 1912 show Dokdo excluded from Japanese territory.

Maps from 1948 following Japan's surrender in World War II and from 1963
also do not include Dokdo in Japanese territory, according to Lee. The expert
said this was because Japan "lacked any confidence" in claiming the islets.
Source: The Chosun Ilbo

Friday, September 6, 2013

President Park Geun-hye, left, meets with German Chancellor Angela
Merkel on the sidelines of the G20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. The two
leaders are the first woman leaders of their respective countries with great
influence. / Yonhap

By Kim
Tae-gyu

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia ― Two of the world’s most
influential women met Friday on the sidelines of the G20 Summit as President
Park Geun-hye had a one-on-one meeting with German Chancellor Angela
Merkel.

Park, Korea’s first woman head of state, has cited
Merkel, who is also the first woman chancellor of Germany, as a role
model.

“In time with the 130th anniversary of the start of
diplomatic relationships between the two nations, Park met with Merkel,” said Ju
Chul-ki, Park’s senior secretary for foreign affairs and
security.

“Germany has strong small- and medium-sized
enterprises and renewable energy. Accordingly, it can be our benchmark in
achieving a creative economy.”

Park has attempted to realize
a creative economy by boosting venture start-ups and stimulating the convergence
between IT and other business areas so that Asia’s No. 4 economy will be able to
find new growth engines.

Germany has been touted as a
country bracing for the concept of a creative economy as its economy is
underpinned by small exporters, which boast of unrivaled technological
competitiveness.

By contrast, Korea Inc. has been
represented by large conglomerates such as the Samsung and Hyundai Motor groups
instead of small corporations. This has been seen as a potential
weakness.

Park and Merkel share many things in
common.

In May, the Forbes magazine published the world’s
100 most influential women with Merkel topping the table for three consecutive
years ― Park was listed as 11th.

From the perspective of
Park who leads one half of the divided Korean Peninsula, she can learn something
from Merkel whose country attained national reunification in
1990.

They are also close ― Park dubbed Merkel as a role
model. The German chancellor was one of the first world leaders who
congratulated Park’s political success.

Just after Park won
the presidential race last December, Merkel called Park to invite the latter to
Berlin in 2013, the invitation was accepted by Park.

The
official schedule is not fixed yet but political analysts expect that she may
fly to Berlin in November when she has a state visit to the United
Kingdom.

Park also had one-one-one meetings with Russian
President Vladimir Putin and Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev to
discuss ways of strengthening relationships.

Suddenly an intense heat hits all over the head and
neck. On top of being unpleasant, it is embarrassing to be the only one sweating
in the room. Knee joints ache, but doctors do not find anything wrong. It is
hard to get sound sleep at night. It hurts during sexual intercourse, and
sometimes bleeding occurs.

Menopause brings various kinds of
discomfort to women, mostly caused by estrogen deprivation. The introduction of
hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was sensational. It cured them all. It not
only reduced menopausal discomfort, but it also seemed to revive women’s youth.
But in 2002, the tragic news came out; the risk of breast cancer, stroke and
heart disease was reported to increase in HRT users. It was later revealed that
the previous report contained major errors and the researchers say the benefits
of HRT outweigh the risks. Yet, women are still reluctant to get HRT. Instead,
they began to look for something more
“natural.”

Phytoestrogens, extracted from plants (phyto
means plant in Greek), are structurally similar to estrogens. The most
well-known among them is isoflavone found abundantly in soybeans and red clover;
women must have heard at least once that soybeans are good for them. Therefore
it was suggested that phytoestrogen can replace HRT’s role in reducing hot
flushes and cardiovascular protection. Additionally, they believe that as a
“natural” product, phytoestrogen should be harmless unlike
HRT.

Phytoestrogen sounds attractive to menopausal women.
They want to stay young and get rid of all the menopausal symptoms, but they
don’t want any of the risk of HRT either. But with phytoestrogen, what is there
to lose? The worst thing that can happen is to waste some
money.

Actually, phytoestrogen can be harmful. To begin
with, its effectiveness against menopausal symptoms as well as the safety is not
proven. The results of studies vary, but in most of the well-designed ones
phytoestrogen was no better than a placebo in reducing hot flushes and improving
cardiovascular function. Also, whether phytoestrogen imposes any health risks is
unknown. Moreover, soy is one of the most common sources of allergies, putting
some women at serious risk. Furthermore, the preparations of phytoestrogen may
contain a mixture of unlabeled ingredients in unclear concentrations. Thus,
taking phytoestrogen is not a nothing-to-lose-option.

In
recent studies, the researchers found that HRT is likely to induce the growth of
existing cancer cells in breasts rather than new tumor cells, resulting in a
mild form of cancer. So breast cancer patients after HRT survived longer than
patients without an HRT history. In addition, when used at the early stage of
menopause, HRT can provide cardiovascular protection.

We all
feel drawn to something “natural.” It sounds more physiologically safe. But we
should look closely at which is truly physiologically safe — a mixture of
unknown ingredients that has no proven effect or harm, or a well-defined
component with minimal amount of estrogen and progestin that have proven
benefits and known risks? The latter sounds better to
me.

The writer is a doctor at Maria Fertility Hospital
in Seoul. For further questions, send an e-mail to the writer at
hyejunlee@mariababy.com, or call the hospital’s English-speaking coordinator at
(02)2250-5577, or visit the hospital’s website,
http://eng.mariababy.com/.

Desert islets that almost magically grow out of the sea are few and far
between, but a day trip to Daeijak Island near Incheon affords precious access
to one, as well as superb views of the surrounding sea from its various
peaks.

It takes about two hours to reach Daeijak from ferry terminals in
either Incheon or nearby Daebu Island. Upon arrival, visitors are advised to
check the time of the tides and head straight to the southwest of the island so
they are within view of Puldeung islet -- a huge sandbar that comes into view at
low tide, measuring 5 km by 1 km. As most ferries reach Daeijak when the tide is
ebbing, this should be considered the first sightseeing stop of any tour
here.

For the best views of Puldeung, head to the middle of Daeijak and look for
the totem pole near its main intersection. Once here, turn right to Jageunpulan
Beach.

Tickets to enter the islet can be purchased here, with ferries
leaving regularly from its wooden promenade. It is only a short journey to
Puldeung, which, due to the blazing sun at this time of year, makes visitors
feel as though they have arrived in the middle of a desert encircled by the
sea.

As the islet is fully submerged once a day, it retains its pristine nature.
Visitors can soak up the scenery for a maximum of three hours before taking the
boat trip back to the larger island.

Jageunpulan Beach also has its fair
share of attractions. This small but popular spot commands great views and offer
plenty of amenities and accommodations.

Most of the beaches on the island have gentle slopes and fine sand, making
them safe for kids to play on and enjoy water activities there. Camping sites
with restrooms and clear drinking water are also available in its pine forest
that opens onto several beaches.

One of the island's highest slopes, Mt.
Bua, contains a park with an octagonal pavilion and an observatory granting
panoramic views of neighboring islands such as Soijakdo and Seungbongdo.

Daeijak is also a decent destination for climbing enthusiasts. Some people
arrive here in the morning and climb Mt. Bua (159 m) and Mt. Songi (188.5 m)
before heading home in the afternoon. It takes just three or four hours to walk
along the gentle mountain ridges.

Those who prefer exploring every nook
and cranny of the island can bring their own tents and stay overnight, giving
them more time to sunbathe, fish, barbecue or drink with friends in a
picturesque setting for some unforgettable memories.

Visitors are advised to bring their own equipment and food and beverages as
prices are higher than on the mainland. But daily necessities, sodas and alcohol
beverages can be purchases easily at kiosks on the pier and beaches.

There is no public transportation on the island, but those who reserve
rooms or other accommodation facilities can enjoy private pickup services. Ferry
tickets to the island can be booked online at http://island.haewoon.co.kr.

Korea is known for its four distinct seasons. Each has its distinct charms
and properties, giving rise to changing ecosystems depending on the time of year
as different flora and water plants sprout up and color the landscape. It is
best to observe the lotus blossom and other water plants, for example, between
the months of August and October.

◆ Wetland Tours in Ulsan

With an eco tour program around the
constructed wetlands in the Hoiya Dam, the city of Ulsan in the southeastern
part of the country is now one of best places to get closer to nature around
this time.

A local guide conducts the tours around a 4.6-km circuit while also providing
clear explanations of the history, topography, flora and fauna of the landscape.
As there is little natural shade and the terrain can at times be a little
challenging to navigate, hiking boots or sturdy sneakers, cold drinks and
baseball hats or sun visors are strongly recommended.

Access to the
wetlands is restricted to protect the environment and its wildlife, meaning that
just 100 people can visit the area each day by signing up for one of the tours,
which only run for a certain period. The dense forest of tall trees retains a
pristine charm and provides a refreshing atmosphere as visitors stroll along a
trail inside it.

After walking for about 30 minutes, the wetlands come into view. Lotus
flowers grow over a 50,000 sq.m area, while a larger field of reeds stretches
for a breathtaking 123,000 sq.m. Some 40 species of aquatic plants, such as
sweet flag and water snowflake, are grown here. Visitors sometimes receive free
gifts of powdered lotus roots that have been cultivated and processed in the
area to take home as keepsakes.

Those who are interested in learning more
about a remote village's ecosystem can attend free classes on this subject at a
beautiful location on Mt. Soimi in Busan's Dongnae-gu every Saturday from April
to October.

Eco-tours from the village to nearby wetlands are also available. On the
first and third Wednesdays of each month during this period, students often head
there on field trips, while group and family tours take precedence on the second
and fourth Saturdays.

Junam Wetlands Park in Changwon serves as the
nation's largest habitat for migratory birds due to optimum conditions as the
water here does not freeze in winter. Visitors can watch them nestle and feed
among the reeds and ponds.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Korean Cool: How the Tiger Peninsula is
Seducing the World

Stroll
around most major North American cities and you’ll find a large community of
Korean restaurants and stores that illuminate the downtown core and surrounding
neighborhoods. Chances are you’ll find a large library of Korean film
in your local video store if you live in an eclectic hub like
Montreal, or if you happen to be visiting Japan, you’ll get to see one of K-pop’s hottest quartets 2AM at K-Fest Summer! –
an event entirely devoted to the media phenomenon. From university
Korean Societies to entire communities of expats and second generations, the
presence of Korean culture is loud, strong, and welcomed with open arms around
the world.

Korean
Cuisine a Cosmopolitan Hit

Korean
cuisine is one of the most popular cultural exports showing up on the menu of
trendy eats today. Healthy and delicious, bulgolgi,
gimbap, mandoo and kimchi grace
the tables in restaurants which are cropping up in every borough, where
establishments strive to produce a fine-dining experience with a peaceful and
classy ambience resonating Korean cool. It’s become a staple of cosmopolitan
education, with westerners striving to perfect their palate, master the use of
chopsticks, and turn their hand to making Korean recipes at home – made easier
by the increasing number of Korean markets, catered to everyone.

Pop
Culture & Entertainment

But
food isn’t just the only aspect of Korean culture to take the world by storm.
The K-pop industry is a booming economy, generating more than 700 million US
dollars per year. Sensations like Super Junior, Big Bang,
SNSD and soloists
like Rain and Hyorin are just a few of the
big-star names to hit the charts, not to mention the smash
wonder “Gangnam Style” by Psy, scoring over 2
billion views on YouTube and followed by a wave of fan-made tributes. Glamorous
looks, skilled choreography and passionate lyrics in the form of ballads and
beats have captured the hearts of youngsters everywhere, evolving into its own unique subculture.

In
the same vein, Korean dramas are becoming another sought-after
commodity on television networks and online. From the historical epics to
contemporary romance, “drama fever” has been raging overseas with avid followers
in China, Japan, the Philippines, and America with its highly-charged characters
and conceits, and a powerful theatricality which has become so provocative to
global audiences. Its literary counterpart, Korean
animation or Han-guk Manhwa Aenimeisyeon,
is promising to make a big splash in the cartoon world this year with its UK
debut The King of Pigs inspired by Clint
Eastwood’s Mystic River.

Cinema
of Korea

Without
a doubt, Korean cinema has achieved mightier success
with the Korean film industry valued at approximately $1.4 trillion
US in 2012. The juxtaposition of the brutal and beautiful in thrillers
like Chan-wook Park’s Oldboy, (2004 Cannes Festival
Grand Prix Winner) has ignited a long-list of masterpieces occupying record
stores, mainstream venues, and international film festivals. Now, cities on the
other side of the world are devoting their entire program to Korean content;
from summer celebrations in Toronto, Canada to The London Film Festival coming up in autumn, people want more
of this poignant art form which eludes competing industries. Recognition from
leading universities, directors and actors have helped to cement Korea’s
artistic legacy onscreen, as well as invoking Hollywood to take on
bleaker, more complex imagery itself.

Art,
Architecture, & Music

Yet
film isn’t the only genre to ride the Korean Wave. Korea’s
magnificent history of traditional and modern art is dominating
exhibits and living rooms worldwide. From the ground-breaking work of Nam June
Paik to the Korean Bell Gardens at Meadowlark in Virginia, US, more
people are seeking to fulfill their curiosity surrounding Korean culture, even
imitating it. Workspaces, cafes, and homes from abroad are adopting a Korean
décor and filling their spaces with Korean art, while ambitious architects
construct new buildings which suggest a hint of Korean flavor and lobbies are
lulled to the haunting tones of a Korean folk tune, yet another export which has
received popular applause thanks to the likes of soprano Jo
Sumi and others.

Hungering
for Sport

Since
Korea co-hosted and dominated the 2002 World Cup, the world has
shifted its eyes towards the peninsula. National team captain and Manchester
United midfielder Park Ji Sung has enjoyed a rapturous response
from English fans as well as at home. Olympians Park
Tae-Hwan and compatriot Kim Yuna have stunned
audiences with their spectacular performances, while mountaineer Oh
Eun-Sun crossed a milestone for women by becoming the first female
explorer to scale the world’s tallest peaks. Korea’s soccer and baseball teams
continue to set the bar high and show the world what perseverance, persistence,
and passion can achieve. Be it Taekwondo – the national sport
which enjoys great popularity in the West – or pro-gaming for
the strategy-based game Starcraft, Korea’s role is ever-increasing the
multiculturalism – as well as the caliber – of the sporting world.

Community
At Home and Abroad

It’s
not just about icons and mass-media, though. While not exclusively
Korean, Buddhism and Confucianism have influenced the habits
and practices of much of the world. With a highly capitalist society striving to
find meaning, people are turning further east to find answers for their daily
struggles. Temples, classes, and courses are now regular aspects of cosmopolitan
city life, and several bookstores and libraries accommodate this curiosity by
supplying a comprehensive spirituality section geared toward newcomers with a
western perspective.

Leading
the Way

The
love-affair with Korean culture has drawn in people who to
experience it first-hand as well, with more than 11 million overseas visitors
making the peninsula their destination of choice in 2012. Due to economic and
corporate investment, the country has also attracted native English teachers –
primarily from Canada, Australia, and the US to make Korea their home for a few
years. Thanks to an excellent health care service for visitors, bilingualism,
efficient transportation system and friendly, helpful people, Korea has become
one of the most accessible destinations in East Asia. The great health service
provision is of importance to many visitors and ex-pats, who take advantage of
local facilities as well as additional health resources online. It’s one of the best
choices for working abroad, attracting the best young minds of the west while
Korea continues to implement its own innovative ideas with industry-leading
powers like Samsung (with a net worth of over $200
billion and Apple’s best competitor in the tablet generation) and car
manufacturers like Hyundai.

While
Korea continues to pave the way for the future, more global companies,
institutions and organizations look for Korean minds. An unbeatable work-ethic
and desire for perfection, as well as the vast trove of historical and cultural
treasures which are distinct to Korean heritage have enriched and enlightened
the lives of millions of people all across the world, and will continue to do so
for generations to come.